College hockey: 'Cats go to finishing school

Friday

Oct 31, 2008 at 3:15 AMOct 31, 2008 at 4:44 AM

By Al Pike

DURHAM — Asked after a recent game if he felt more pressure to be perfect when the University of New Hampshire hockey team struggles offensively, goalie Brian Foster said he tries to be perfect every night regardless of the circumstances.

By scoring only five goals in the last four games, the Wildcats have depended a little too much lately on their junior netminder. Despite the lack of production that finally caught up to it in a 4-1 loss at St. Lawrence last Sunday, UNH has gone 2-1-1 in those contests. The Wildcats went 0 for 7 on the power play against the Saints.

"On the power play we had 16 scoring chances and it didn't go in," said UNH coach Dick Umile. "Obviously our shots could have been more accurate. We generated some good chances but we didn't score."

"We're not really concerned about it right now," said senior forward Jerry Pollastrone, who is pointless through five games. "I think it's one of the things you go through in every season. I'd rather have it right now than later on in the season.

"We're just not finishing our chances," Pollastrone added. "We're getting them. Give it time and it will come hopefully. We're working on it in practice. We're getting the opportunities, we've just got to start burying them."

The Wildcats (3-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in Hockey East) — ranked sixth in one national poll and seventh in another — hope to do a better job of finishing this weekend in a home-and-home series with unbeaten Northeastern (5-0-1), which is off to the second-best start in the program's history.

The Huskies' 4-0 league mark is their best start ever in Hockey East. No. 9 Northeastern is coming off a two-game sweep last weekend at Maine. Goalie Brad Thiessen set a school record with his eighth career shutout in a 5-0 win over the Black Bears last Friday.

"They're the top team in Hockey East right now," said Umile. "We're the underdog."

Northeastern snapped a 19-game winless streak (0-16-3) against UNH before winning back-to-back games last season at the Whittemore Center, the site of tonight's contest at 7 that will be televised live on CN8. The Huskies were the only Hockey East team to win the season series last year against the Wildcats, who captured the regular season title.

"It's a work ethic for them with improved skill and speed," Umile said.

"Traditionally they've been a team that's come out and been physical," said Pollastrone. "They've got some guys that are skilled too now. They're a good team. They're going to come and they're going to play the body and they're going to score goals. We have to stay out of the (penalty) box and match their momentum."

The teams will meet again Saturday (7) at Matthews Arena in Boston. That game will be mark the first of six straight road contests, culminating with another game at Northeastern on Nov. 21. The daunting stretch also includes a two-game series at No. 5 Minnesota next weekend and a date with defending national champion Boston College on Nov. 15.

"Last year we were a very good road team," said Umile. "We're just focusing on the next game."

After scoring five goals in a season-opening win over Wisconsin, UNH's offense has all but disappeared. Two of the Wildcats' projected big guns, Pollastrone and Bobby Butler, who have combined for 51 career goals, have managed only one assist combined through five games.

"They played well," Umile said of the line that includes Peter LeBlanc centering for Pollastrone and Butler. "I think they're snake-bitten right now, Bobby Butler for sure. He's had some great chances. They're not going in."

"You can't get frustrated," Pollastrone said. "You've got to work on the little things. The first three games I wasn't playing that well. I think it was more of me not being around the puck too much and waiting for things to happen. I've always been a player that's tried to make things happen and I wasn't really doing that."

James van Riemsdyk (3) and LeBlanc (2) are the only Wildcat forwards with more than one goal. Van Riemsdyk has been the most consistent, with at least one point in four of the five games. Sophomore Danny Dries has three points in three games, and score UNH's only goal against St. Lawrence. Although the Wildcats operate with a defense-first mindset, they don't purposely stifle the forwards' creativity.

"It's a fine line," said Umile. "We say transition. We allow our people to be creative offensively. We like being an offensive team, but when the puck turns over you have to be committed to defense. It's not like we're sitting back and playing a trapping game. We're not doing that."